Oppo R7 Plus hands-on and first look

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Even though the Oppo R5 was launched only late last year, Oppo has already taken the wraps off its successor. At a press event in Beijing earlier today, Oppo unveiled its two latest “premium mid-range” offerings, the R7 and the R7 Plus, with the latter getting a significant bump in screen size as well as a few additional hardware features when compared to its smaller sibling.

What does the larger of the two have to offer? We find out, as we go hands-on, and give you our first impressions about the Oppo R7 Plus!

When it comes to the design language, there are some similarities with the iPhone 6 Plus and the Huawei Ascend Mate 7, with the R7 Plus looking almost like a cross between the two. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, with the device boasting a full metal unibody construction, with a prominent lip around the chassis. Subtle curves are to be found all around, with a 2.5D glass covering the 6-inch display, and what Oppo is calling the “violin arc” on the back, with a curve that matches what is available with the 2.5 D glass up front.

With such a large device, handling is of course going to be a concern, but the thin bezels around the sides of the display, and other elements, do help with the overall handling experience. The touch-type fingerprint scanner on the back found just below the 13 MP camera module is ideally placed within reach of where the index finger would rest, and the power button and volume rocker, found to the right and left respectively, are also within easy reach.

Overall, the Oppo R7 Plus is a very elegant device, that manages to be impressively thin, with a thickness of just 7.8 mm, while avoiding the camera bump that has plagued other similarly thin smartphones out there. Available in silver and gold, the simplicity of the R7 Plus really speaks to how well the device has been designed.

The R7 Plus comes with a 6-inch AMOLED display with a 1080p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 367 ppi. You get the deep blacks, high contrast, and vibrant colors we’ve come to expect from AMOLED screens, and with its large size, this display will make for a fantastic media viewing experience.

Under the hood, the Oppo R7 Plus packs a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz, backed by the Adreno 405 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. In our short time with the device, the performance was very smooth and snappy, and moving around the various elements of the latest iteration of the Color OS was a breeze. The Snapdragon 615 has proven itself to be a very reliable processor in the affordable smartphone segment, and that continues to be the case here.

32 GB of on-board storage is available with the R7 Plus, further expandable by up to 128 GB via microSD card. Users will have to make a choice between dual SIM capabilities and microSD expansion though, with one of the slots functioning as either a SIM slot or a microSD card slot. On the battery front, the R7 Plus packs a massive 4,100 mAh unit that is non-removable, that should make for some impressive battery life. Oppo’s VOOC fast charging is also available, and that should allow for the battery to be charged up to 75% in just 30 minutes.

When it comes to the camera, we’ll have to save our thoughts for when we can perform our testing with our own unit, but the camera application is quite simplistic and easy to use, with very few elements on the viewfinder itself. All of the different features are accessible via a single button on the side, with the various modes you may be familiar with from previous Oppo flagships. The biggest addition when it comes to the camera of the R7 Plus is that it now comes with a laser-guided auto focus system, and that should make fast, accurate focusing a breeze on the R7 Plus. The sensor is a RGBW type, and the addition of white pixels should result in less noise in images, as well as more accurate color reproduction.

On the software front, the R7 Plus runs Color OS 2.1, based on Android 5.0 Lollipop. The latest iteration of the Color OS retains some of the elements of its previous versions, including the absence of an app drawer. But the skin seems to have received a much-needed boost in speed and optimization, resulting in a smooth and snappy experience. Just a few Lollipop elements make their way over to this version, and these can be seen mainly in the notification drop down. The R7 Plus also employs on-screen navigation keys instead of the capacitive keys that can be found on its smaller sibling.

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So there you have it, our first look at the Oppo R7 Plus! Despite its mid-range tendencies, the large AMOLED display, what looks to be a solid camera, optimized software, and premium build quality makes this sub-$500 device a steal, and we can’t wait to run it through its paces as we give it the full review treatment.

NASA wants to explore other planets with breadbox-sized satellites

Most CubeSats sent out to space by scientists and students end up orbiting the Earth — that’s pretty much their final destination. NASA, however, wants to use the diminutive satellites for missions that’ll take them way beyond low-Earth orbit and right into another planet’s atmosphere. Goddard technologist Jaime Esper is developing a concept called CubeSat Application for Planetary Entry Missions (CAPE) that’s comprised of two modules and weighs around 11 pounds. One of the CubeSats will serve as the service module in charge of propelling the spacecraft to its destination, and the other will serve as an entry probe.

After the spacecraft gets ejected from its “mothership,” it’ll either spread its solar panels or run on batteries until it arrives near its assigned planet. The service module will then detach from the entry probe, which was designed to withstand the harsh conditions of entering a planet’s atmosphere. Esper plans to load that probe with a ton of sensors, so it can collect data (such as the temperature, atmospheric pressure, and so on) and beam it back to the mothership, which will transmit it to the ground station on Earth. Since CubeSats are relatively inexpensive, future missions might deploy several CAPEs to monitor the different aspects of a planet.

Before any of that happens, though, Esper first has to prove the concept works. His team is dropping a prototype comprised only of the entry module from a high-altitude balloon this summer, and they’re expecting it to hurtle towards the Earth at roughly the speed of sound. They’re most likely doing their best to ensure a successful test flight, since they’re hoping it will “attract potential partners to provide the rest of the vehicle” — the service module, in other words. If all goes according to plan, Esper wants to go higher and drop another entry module straight from the ISS as soon as 2016.

[Image credit: NASA/Goddard]

Filed under: Science

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Source: NASA

Uber poached Carnegie Mellon’s robotics lab to make self-driving cars

Remember how Uber forged a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to get its ambitions for self-driving cars off the ground? It turns out this deal wasn’t exactly balanced. The Verge understands that Uber poached much of the autonomous vehicle team from Carnegie Mellon’s robotics lab, including top staff who’d been there for more than a decade. There’s a transition period that keeps these researchers around to finish existing work, but the rash of departures is reportedly creating a vacuum at the school — and it’s not clear if those soon-to-depart people are working on academic projects or Uber technology.

Neither party is directly commenting on this sudden shift. However, they’ve so far been optimistic about what the partnership will mean. CMU’s director has argued that the “slightly negative” loss of employees would be worth it as the robotics industry “matured.” Uber, meanwhile, just confirmed that it’s leasing a giant workspace in Pittsburgh to help its new recruits get their self-driving vehicle efforts off the ground toward the end of the year. The hiring campaign may have set back the university’s studies, but it’s clear that there’s no turning back.

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

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Source: The Verge, Pittsburgh Business Times

ZeroLemon channels the sun for 20000mAh charging versatility

Device portability is key for adventure tech, and chargers need to deliver serious punch per inch with versatility, to boot. The ZeroLemon SolarJuice 20000mAh Battery will charge your iOS, Android and USB-compatible devices with full rainproof/shockproof security confidence in all adventure conditions.

The high-quality Lithium Polymer SolarJuice is powered by the sun (or standard outlet), storing an enormous amount of extra battery fuel for life on the move. One side of the device is covered by a 1.2W monocrystalline solar panel, and eight hours of sunbathing is enough for the battery to juice your phone.

Road trips, long hikes and other outdoor adventures are far more enjoyable without power concerns. At $49.99, SolarJuice will deliver 1000-plus recharge cycles over the life of the battery, while four LED indicators reflect the charging and discharging process, so power confidence comes at a glance.

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Filed under: Peripherals

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